I just bought a taylor chicago 2 standard and it is wonderful. It has such a dark sound. The slotting it very good. A pretty heavy horn but makes it play so smooth. It is freeblowing, and powerful. the valves are great. But i dont know if i really like the amado waterkeys. but other than that it is great. definately a great buy

I have had mine now for 8 months. After having a bach 37 for 14 years and literally just giving up on it I feel like a new musician. The response of this Chicago custom is amazing. Just owning it makes me find the time to practice. I am a band director and that time comes only so often but now all I want to do is play. If you can afford it get one and on a side note Andy Taylor is the absolute nicest person in the world of trumpets!

This horn produces a beautiful tone and it is fun to play but I found there to be major setbacks:
First the intonation needs improvement. Simply play major arpeggios slowly from the bottom of the instrument to the top and you will find considerable discrepancies. Next, the slides are quite sluggish. Why pay $2500 for a horn that needs finish work and plays out of tune? Finally, a .470 bore is not realistic for most players, especially on long jobs. If you want a dark tone, put in a big mouthpiece or play a flugel.

I'd have to disagree with the review above me. I have owned a Chicago Custom for almost 2 years now, and it is an amazing horn. the slides were perfect for me. The tuning slide occassionally sticks, only because i only have to grease it like every few months! The valves are amazing, the tone AND the intonation are wonderful. You just gotta know how to handle a monster like a Chicago.

Oh, and the comment about finish work? I bet he ordered a raw brass horn and didn't know what it was, or how to take care of it...

Amazing instrument. If you dont like such an instrument, then you either cannot look after it, or cannot use it. A large instrument is perfect for power, tone and quality. I simply rise above everyone at points where I have ff fff and more. Whats more, when there is a quiet bit, it drops down to quieter than a pin drop. It has superb control, and is the best instrument I have played. Not for the faint hearted, yu'll never get a sound out it.

This big, heavy, beast of a trumpet is one of the most versatile horns I have blown. The Standard model is the cream of the crop for me. It does exactly what you ask it to, every time. The valves are beyond any others I have played, and all slides fit perfectly. I own 27 Olds trumpets, a Callichio, an Eclipse, 2 Yamaha Zeno's, a Bach Mount Vernon, and a Besson Meha. My big fat Taylor is my horn of choice.
Oh, and by the way, the custom mouthpiece Andy Taylor made for me is just great!

I have a raw brass chicago Custom with red brass bell. Simply the finest horn ever made. Mind you it has a specific sound! Do not bother spending your money on this horn if you plan on screaming in the high register, or if you play a lot of band brassy stuff and need sizzle to the sound. Do buy the horn if you play a lot of solo's, especially intimate R&B and Jazz. The horn just has too much warmth and overtones to the sound to be effective as a lead or group instrument. Need sizzle get a Schilke B5, or a Calicchio 1s2 also awesome horns in their own right! The Taylor is phenominal at playing soft, yeah that's right a trumpet that plays in tune softly. My family and friends just love the way it sounds and always ask me to play christmas music during the holidays with my wife backing me on the piano. As far as the raw finish goes, it patinas really nice. The brass it is made of must be of a very high quality because it just darkens with age, no red or green spots, and it doesn't stink like metal once it starts to darken. The valves are trouble free and massive, and never stick. Recomend blue juice valve oil. Clean the horn once a month in some warm water with ivory liquid soap "no abbrasives and non acidic" and get it ultrasonicly cleaned, not chem cleaned, once a year to keep the patina. I have blabbed enough, stop reading and buy your own.

I tried one and it was "deader than a door nail" type of sound...and then heavy AND expensive...? NO THANKS!

I own a Taylor Chicago Standard II, and i must say that it's a very good trumpet. I love the versatility of this trumpet. It has a very nice sweet mellow sound but it can brighten up on demand. It also DOES have "louder louds and softer softs", as someone put it. You can play very very soft, but still have great control of the sound and when it comes to playing loud, you can give it all the power you can, because you will not get that blare nor will you get a very brassy sound. So if you're into lead or the "sizzling" trumpets, i would not reccommend this horn.

I have had the horn a few days and had to write a quite thumbs up! Tone is fantastic and the slotting is very good. Valves are perfect and slide work great (not that i use them much!)
I would recomend the custom to any jazz player who wants "that" sound. Its a perfect horn for small band stuff and i have even got a decent lead sound out of it as well. Awesome horn.

Nick
Taylor Chicago Custom II

I had a Chicago II and a Chicago Lite and both horns did not play in tune. Especially middle e was VERY flat. These horns have a nice sound, very good flexibility and great valves.

I don't get it. All horns play out of tune? What you do when you adjust to a new instrument is how to find the place of the tone? I agree with that some instruments tend to center the pich of the note more than others but there are more variables to cocider. Imgaine for instance that you will have to tune the trumpet below it's "sweet spot", this will shurely alter the way we precieve the "intonation" of the instrument (I don't consider instruments intonating by the way, it's the player, instruments can only be more or less helpful). Also a mouthpice will alter the precieved position of the note. What I precieve as a bad instrument assembly is when the note "quinches up" in the proper intonation (by the player) i.e. tone quality becomes low. What I look for in an instrument is if I can center the tone around the pich center and the amount of resaultants/sound it generates a this centre?

What exactly does this previous contributor mean? The Chicago Standard is the most responsive horn I have blown. It's a bit heavy for sure but the sound is awesome. If you try this trumpet expecting your lips to do the work you will be disappointed. The 'Standard' needs to be blown - learn to use the diaphram again and this horn will thrill. Also, Andy Taylor's mouthpieces will add a new dimension to even the most committed player's technique. I think it looks pretty cute too!

First i will appolagige for my bad englisch, i am from the netherlands so.....


Today i bought a brand new taylor chicago II Lite raw brass. I was first playing on a getzen Gennesis and i was not so pleased with it as i thought i would be. When i played it by my self it was a great horn but playing whitin the group it ditn't fit in wel at all. A continiously thought that i was of key whit it. So, i tried like a 30 other horns of the same price range and anventually i got hold of the chicago. Man, what a horn that is!!!!!! Especial the higer frequenties in the soundm, that it brings when played loud, and the oposit when played soft, the valbes are amazing, and you can make noise whit it that would bring a horse down.......lol. It is heavy, but when you get used to a heavy horn you never want something else. The sound is stabiel, the higer register is open and stays open, you can use al your air, it wil go right thru the instrument. Thats not always good, butin this case, it is, why?? because al the air you put in to it comes ou as sound, so verry ecenomical..........

I am verry pleased wiht it and i hope i will have much fun playing it, it cost me enough do.......


I hope everyone can understand my enlisch i tried my best.

Greets Willy from holland.

www.dommelaers.nl

I'm talking about the Custom version, in Raw Brass. The best horn I ever played: the Monette 993 I tested beside the Taylor looked like a normal horn... You can be dark, bright, "laser", "smokey" and anything in between! Intonation is so spot on that at first you will have problems finding the pitch center, it's so low and easy you can easily overshoot the notes. When you get used you can't play a normal trumpet anymore. Less effort, more sound, more endurance, more range...
It's a KILLER HORN!!!!!!!!

Tabu Zombie from SOIL & "PIMP" Sessions (Japan) plays the Taylor Chicago II Trumpet with a monette AJNA Mouthpiece. He sounds killer!